Folding table



April 1, 1930. l J, KOVATS 1,752,304

FOLDING TABLE Filed June 6, 1929 2g /,5 Z9 o o i?? 4,9 67 iff; ha 15,5 @mmww 111-49 Patented Apr. l, 1930 y i 4 I l i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN KOVATS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT FOLDING TABLE Application filed June 6, 1929. Serial No. 368,814.

This invention relates to a table, particular- Fig. 3' is a partial longitudinal section and lv the means for mounting the supporting partial plan `view of the mounting means for l rees of the table, and has for an object to one'leg, the parts being in the position of provide means for so connecting the support- Fig. 2.

15 ing legs to the table that they may all be fold Fig. 4 is a detail section substantially on 55 ed against the under side of the table and are line 1 -4. of Fig. 2, and on Yan enlarged scale. 4 connected by mechanism so that the swinging Fig. 5 is a detail section substantially on vof any leg to or from the extended or supline 5 5 of Fig. 2 and on an enlarged scale.

porting position will impart a similar move- Fig. 6 is a detail of an adjustable coupling ment to each of the other legs. for the cable. y 60 It is also an obj ect of the invention to .pro- Figs. 7 and 8 are front and side elevations vide a construction in which there is an indirespectively of the pivoted member for vidual locking means for each leg which is mounting the leg. so connected with the locking means for each f Fig. 9 is a detail of the construction of the of the other legs that operation lof any one mounting bracket. 65

to lock or unlock the leg will automatically Fig. l0 is a detail'of the guide member, and operate each and all of the other locking Fig. 11 is a detail section of one of the means in the same manner, so that the release guide pulleys. of any one locking means will release all the This device is adapted for tables of various other locking means to permit the legs to be types but is especially intended for use on swung to folded position, and the locking of what are commonly known as card tables in any one leg in the extended position will also which the legs are foldable against the under lock each of the other legs in this position. side of thevtable top, so that the table may be It is another object of the invention to profolded into a small space and put away into' 5 vide a construction in which, although'all the a closet or other suitable space when not in legs may be swung to or from the lextended or use, and the device is, therefore, shown in the folded position by swinging any individual drawings as 'applied to this type of table.

leg on its pivot, still the legs are rigidly held The .table top is shown at 12 which, of course,

in the supporting position to provide a rigid may bekof any suitable material and may be support for the table. finished on the top or covered with any suit- 80 Still another ob'ect of the invention is to able cover as is found desirable. Secured to provide a construction of this character in the under side of this top of the table and which practically the entire structure may be extending about the peripheryv thereof are stamped from sheet metal and may be manuusually mounted wooden bars `13 which factured and assembled at relatively low cost. strengthen and stifen the table top and assist With the foregoing and other objects in in preventing warping. The table shown is a view the invention consists in certain novel substantially square or rectangular table and features of construction, combinations and is, therefore, provided with a supporting leg arrangements of parts as will be more fully 14 at each corner. Theselegs are each pivoted disclosed in connection with the accompanyto the table so as to fold or swing against the `90 ing drawing. under side thereof and they aire all mounted In this drawing inthe same manner. They thus each swmg 1n Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the table the same direction in relation to the periphery showing the legs folded against the under of the table from their individual corners and side thereof. v lie substantially parallel with the' bar or 95 Fig'. 2 is a partial section of the table show-f flange 13 when they are folded against the ing the mounting means for one leg in elevaunder side of the table top. As the means tion and'with the parts in the position they for mounting each is the same as that for occupy when the leg is' in the upright or supmounting each of the other legs one set of porting position. 'dies may be used for makmg all the mount- 100 v bracket 19 is also preferably of sheet metal therefore, each inter ingsA and they are,

but one ot changeable, and ll will describe them.

The legs 14 are shown as substantially suare in cross section, but of course, may be o any shape desired. The upper end of each is secured in a holder 15 which is preferably made oita sheet metal, and this is of substantially U-shape in cross section to receive the upper end of the leg, and therefore, em braces it on three sides, and it may be secured thereto by any suitable means such as screws or bolts 16. This member is provided with ears 17 and 18 preferably spaced laterally from the sides out the member as indicated in Figs. 3 and 7 so as to give lateral strength and stiffness to properly brace the leg when these ears are pivoted to the supporting bracket 19. The ears 17 and 18 are integral with the sides or" the member 15 by the connecting strips 20 and 21 respectively. The

and is bent to substantially U-shape to provide ears 22 and 23 to which the ears 17 and 18 'are pivoted respectively by the rivets 24,

These ears 22 and 23 have extensions 25 on their edges passing through openings in a plate 26 and riveted over to secure them to this plate as shown in Fig. 9. The plate 26 may be secured to the bars 13 by screws 27.

It will'be noted from F ig. 1 that when securing the brackets 19 to the under side of the table they are so arranged that the legs all fold in the same direction peripherally oir' the table. Also 'that the spaced relation oli pivot ears 17 and 18 make a very rigid support for the leg in a direction transverse of the direction of its swinging movement, that is the up and down directions as viewed in Fig. 3.

Also preferably secured to these brackets 19 and secured on the inner sides of the bars 13 adjacent each leg by any suitable means such as screws 28 isa guide plate or bar 29. This plate or bar may also be made of lsheet metal and has a laterally pressed longitudinally extending rib portion 30 in, which is provided a guide slot 31. At the end adjacentthe leg this slot has a downwardly extending portion 32 running into an upward extendlng portion 33 at this end of the slot. Mounted to slide along the bar 29 is -a block 34 which may be a simple flat piece of metal and it carries shouldered rivets 35 extending through the slot 31 and having a head 36 running in the groove formed at the back of the rib 30. These rivets guide the block 34 for longitudinal movement along the bar 29. The blocks 34 also carry clamps 37 which are secured thereto b any suitable means such as screws 38. This clamp is folded over to form a grooved ortion 39 to embrace a flexible cable 40 andD clamp this cable to the block 34 through the clamping effect of the screws 38.

To one oit the rivets 35 there is pivoted a means of a similar rivet 42 to a brace link 43 which brace link is pivoted' at its opposite end to the member 15 or the leg at the point 44. The rivet 42 is also a shouldered rivet and is guided igor longitudinal movement in the slot 31..

The flexible cable 49 may be of any suitable material, but itis preierably of stranded wire, and extends entirely around the table inside of the side bars 13 and at each corner it runs over a iianged guide pulley 45. This pulley may also be made ot sheet metal as shown in Fig. 11. The tree ends ot' the cable are connected together by an adjustable connection of any suitable construction. A very simple type of connection is shown in Fig. 6 in which elements 46 are secured to the tree ends of the cable and have overlapping portions 47 provided with a series of openings 48 through which may be passed a securing screw 49. By overlapping these portions more or less and inserting the screw, the cable may be tightened or loosened as desired.

peTaom-t will be apparent from the foregoing description that when a leg is swung about its pivots 24 the link brace 43 will cause the block 34 to slide along the guide bar 29, and as the block 34 for each leg clamped to the cable 40 any movement of any block 34 will be transmitted to the cable and by the cable will be transmitted to each oi tlie other blocks 34 for the remaining three legs. Thus, it any one leg 14 is swung from its oldedposition of Fig. lat the under side of the table to the upright or extended position of higs. 2 and 3 its block 34. will slide along the bar 29 from the position adjacent its outer end (the right end as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3) toward the leg or to the left as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3.' During this movement the rivet 42 which is the pivotal `connection between the links 41 and 43 will be guided along the guide slot31 and whenl the leg reaches nearly its upright position, as indicated in dotted lines of Fi 2, this rivet 42 will pass into the incline portion 32 of this slot 31 and into a position in alignment with the inclined portion 33 of thisslot. Then if the operator presses inwardly on the inner edge 43 of the link 43, especially adjacentthe rivet 42, he will force this rivet into the inclined portion 33 ofthe slot to the full line position of Fig. 2. As this portion 33 of the slot extends substantially at right angles to the link 43 it will be obvious that pressure on the outside of the leg tending to fold it against the table will be prevented from doing so by the link 43 and engagement of the rivet 42 against the side portion 33 of the slot. Thus, the leg is locked in its upright or table supporting position and is very firmly held in this position by the brace slot into the portion 33 the link 43. It is lreferred that the portion 33 of the slot be ormed on the arc of a circle with the center of the pivot 44 as its center. This will give a very reliable locking eiect. i It is to be especially noted that when the o erator presses on the link 43 to'force the rlvet 42 from the inclined ortion 32 of the Iblock 34 is shifted somewhat, and that therefore, a similar movement is imparted by the cable 40 to the block 34 of each of the other legs, and this movement of each of these blocks acting through their links 41 force the rivet 42 of each of these legs into the inclined portion 33 of its guide slot. Thus, the locking of any one leg will lock each of all the other legs j at the same time.

^ lar movement to the ot er In collapsing the legs and folding them against the under side of the table this operation is simply reversed, that is, the operator by pressing the inner side 50 of any link 43 will slide the rivet 42 upwardly in the inclined portion 33 of the slot and bring it into,- alignment with the portion 32 of the slot. This unlocks that particular le and at the same time also unlocks each of the other legs through the movement of the blocks 34 and the cable 40. The operator may now fold any individual leg against the under side of the table, and this operation will fold each' and all of the other legs against the under side of the table at the same time. Thus, with this construction the swinging ofany one le toward or from either its upright or folde position will automatically impart a similar movement to each of the other) legs, and the locking or unlocking of any Lindividual leg by swinging the reeend of the link 43 will lock or unlock each of the other le s in a similar manner.

-laving thus set forth the nature invention, what li claim is:

1. In a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table on individual pivots arranged so that all the legs fold in the same direction with respectmto the periphery ofthe table, guides at the corners of the table, a flexible cable runnin over v`these guides, a guide bar secured to t e table adjacent each le and provided with a guide way having an o set portion, movable locks having guide means in said guide ways, there being a block for each leg, means for securing the blocks to the cable, a brace link pivoted to each leg, and a connecting link ivoted to each brace and to the adjacent bloc ,the pivotal connection between the twolinks being guided in said uideway.

2. .gin a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table and foldable against it, means for connecting the legs with each other so that movement of an leg will give simiegs including a exible cable and a movable block adjacent .of my -each leg secured to said cable, a guide means1 v y A for each block, a connection from each leg to a block, and cooperating locking means on the ide means and said connection to lock the eg in extended or supporting position.

3. In a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table and foldable against it, means'for connecting the legs with each other so that movement of any leg will give similar movement to the other le s including a flexible cable and a movable l(lock adjacent each leg secured to said cable, a guide member secured to the table adjacent each block provided with a longitudinal slot having an 0H- set portion at its end toward the leg, means on the block guided in said slot, a brace link pivoted to the leg, a connecting link pivoted to the block, and a pivotal connection between the two links guided in said slot.

4. In a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table and foldable against it, means for connecting the legs with each other so that movement of any leg will give similar movement to the other legs including a movable block adjacent each leg and connecting meansvbetween the blocks, a guide member secured to the table adjacent each block and provided with a longitudinal slot having an oii'set portion at its end toward the leg, means onthe block guided in said slot, a brace link pivoted to the leg, a connecting link pivoted to the block, and a pivotal connection between the links guided in said slot.

5. In a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table and foldable against it, means for connecting the legs with each other so that movement of an leg will give similar movement to the other egs including a movable block adjacent each leg and connecting means between the blocks, a guide member secured to the table adjacent each block and provided with a longitudinal slot having an offset portion at its end toward the leg, means on the block guided in said slot, a brace link pivoted to the leg, a connecting link pivoted to the block, and a pivotal connection between the links guided in said slot, said odset portion of the slot being at substantially right l angles to the brace link when the leg is in supporting position and connected to the main portion of the slot by a portion which is inclined to both the main and oiset portions of the slot.

6. ln a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted to the table and foldable against 1t, means for connecting the legs with each other so that movement of any leg will ive similar movement to the other legs inclu ing a flexible cable and a movable block adjacent each leg secured to said cable, a guide member secured to the table adjacent each block provided with a longitudinal slot having an 0H- set portion at its end toward the leg, means on the block guided in said slot, a bracelink pivoted to the leg, a connecting link pivoted to the block, and a pivotal connection between the two 'links guided in said slot, said odset portion of the slot being at substantially right angles to the brace link when the leg 1s in supporting position and connected to the main portion of the slot by a portion which is inclined to this main portion.

7. ln a substantially rectangular table, a supporting leg pivoted thereto adjacent each corner and adapted to fold against the table,

a roller guide mounted adjacent each corner,

a flexible cable passing over said guides, a guide member secured to the table adjacent each leg and having a gui-de slot offset atone end at an angle to the main slot and connected therewith by an inclined portion, a clamp secured to the cable adjacent each guide member, a guide on each clamp running in the corresponding slot, a brace link pivoted to each leg, a guide means connected to each v brace link running in the adjacent slot and adapted to enter said offset portion thereof to lock the leg in supporting position, and a connection between the clamp and the brace link.

8. In a table, a plurality of supporting legs pivoted tothe table and foldable against it, means for connecting the legs wlth each other so vthat movement of any leg will give similar movement to the other legs including a movable block adjacent each leg and connecting means between the blocks, a guide l member secured to the table adjacent each legvand having a guide slot oset at one end at an angle to the mainslot and connected therewith by an inclined ortion, a (guide for each block running in t e corresponding slot, a brace link pivoted to each leg, a guide means connected to each brace link running in the adjacent slot and adapted to enter said offset portion thereof to lock the leg in supportin position, and a connection between each b ock and the adjacent brace link.

In testimony whereofvI aix my signature..

v JOHN KOVATS. 

